Thompson Twins

Thompson Twins (named after the detectives Thomson and Thompson in the Tintin comics) was formed in 1977 in Sheffield by Tom Bailey and guitarists John Roog and Peter Dodd, with drummer Chris Bell joining soon afterwards after some line-up changes. They arrived in London and self-released their debut single "Squares And Triangles" (opens in a new tab) in 1980. After their 1981 debut album, they recruited The Soft Boys's bassist Matthew Seligman, New Zealand saxophonist Alannah Currie, and percussionist Joe Leeway, forming a septet. After the group completed their second album, "Set", Dodd and Roog left to form the short lived act Big View. Seligman also left the group to pursue a career as a session musician (for The Waterboys, David Bowie etc.). As a trio, Thompson Twins reached their commercial peak with their "Into The Gap" (opens in a new tab) album and the five singles that it spawned, managing to conquer the American market in the process. Joe Leeway went solo in May 1986 and the group continued as a duo, releasing three more albums. The band released eight albums in total. In 1993, Bailey and Currie started the electronic project Babble.